Oil-well-pump valve.



E. A, WHEELER.

OIL WELL PUMP VALVE. APPLIGATIGNTILBD JAN. 17, 1912.

Slimme@ Patented Nov.5,1912.`

vthe accumulation EARL A. WHEELER, O'F IBAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA.

YOIL-vvnLL-:Puivir VALVE.

To ad whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL A. 7i-runnen, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bakersiield, in the county ot Kern and State ot' California., have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oil-lVelhPump Valves,- and I do declare the a full, clear, and exact invention, in the art to which it and use the same. Y

This inventitm relates to pumps, and more especially to those adapted for use in oil wells; and .the object of the same 1s to ettect certain improvements in the valve of a pump ot this kind so that thesame shall not become stuck or jammed within its cage or seatby the accumulation of non-fluid pardescription ot' the appertains to make ticles.

In United States Letterslatent No. 1,013,246, granted to me on January 2, 1912, is shown quite from peb closes upon its seat on a line which is truly play of the head and maintain its strict axial position, its reciprocations crushv or grind the non-Huid particles such as sand and pebbles upon the seat .and around the conical facev of the head itself so that-they accumulate Within the valve lirst perhaps at one point and eventually entirely around the same, with the result that the length of the strokes becomes less and less,

greater, and is jammed or in place and its eectveness is deinally the entire valve frozen a: stroyed.

The object of the presentV invention, as stated above, is to avoid this condition Which is presentnin Wells Whose oil contains a rela following to be such as will enable others skilled SpeccatioaofLetters Patent. Application filed January 17', 1912.

i r i Patented Nov. 5, itliiZ. Serial No. 671,656.

tively high percentage Particles of non-iuid and extending its stem downward and loosely through the seat instead of upward away .trom the saine, and mounting on the stem an adjustable cross bar which limits the rise of the valve head and yet is so short that it permits the latter and its stem to have some considerable lateral play so that the pariiclcs are dislodged from the' seat and the head aud their accumulation is therefore prevented.

The following specification sets forth my preferred manner ot carrying out the idea, as fully shown in the .drawings whereinh Figure l is a vertical sectional view of the working cylinder at the lower end ot a tubular oil well, showing my improved pump complete as located therein. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, and Fig. 3 a central vertical section of thel improved valve forming the subject matter oit the present invention. Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 4-4 of F ig. 2.

In the drawings the numeral l designates the usual well tubing, connected at its lower end as at 2 with the upper end of the worki ing` cylinder in which operates my piston valve yet to be described, and the lower end ot this cylinder is contracted internally as shown at L and shouldered as at 5 above its contracted or conical portion, and above the shoulder it is cylindrical throughout its length. Within the conical portion 4 of this cyliiider is removably inserted the conical lower end G ot' a tubular member or shoe 7 which is externally shouldered as at 8 tor the reception oi' the bahbitt or leather washers 9 which lit closely within the bore of the c s'flinder 3 and rest upon its shoulder when the conical lower tits closely within tie tapered or conical lower portion 4 of said cylinder 3; and the upper end of said 7 carries the standing valve. Lach valve includes a head which will be described below; a reversible seat l0 having on its outer side between its ends an annular ridge ll which rests upon the upper end of the shoe 7 when the seat is in place within the bore of the shoe as seen in Fig. 3; and a cage comprising an annular body l2 having an internal shoulder 13 adapted to bear upon said ridge ll and yielownsaid shoulder for 4iber' below it' and internal threads ltl this object I accomplish by making the valve head comparatively large and heavy,-

. thi

claniping the ridge between"l said shoulder and member, an'd Vthe cage also including two oppositely disposed :upright prongs '43 whose innemedges are sharpened as at 44 and Whose ripper ends are connected b a yoke The latter in turn isdetachalily connected as at passes upward and loosely through a rather large hole 35 forming the'bore of a ring or nut 311 screwed into the lower end of the cylindrical plunger 30. The latter is surrounded by packing 31 and is reciprocated within the worli'ing cylinder by means of the sucker rod 220 which is connected with the upper end olf said plunger by a similar cage and a sub 'TO which screws into the upper endet the plunger 30 and into the threads le at the lower end of the cage.. ln

all respects as far as this improved valve is.

' rod is raised suiiicientlyabut under ordinary conditions and 'with trie reciprocations of usual length the sucker rod moves only the piston valve in arnanner well understood.

Corning now more particularly to the details of the present invention in so far as it differs' from my former patent hereinbe- :tore referred to, the valve head is comparatively large and heavy, having a cylindrical body portion 16 whose lower end is tapered or made conical as seen at so as to lit within either endv of the seat 10, and the valve rod or, stem 18 is screwed into the apex or point of the tapered end 15 as at 17 and hangs therefrom so that it projects loosely through the seat 10 and the'tubular member 7 or 70 which supports it, and its lower end is threaded as at 19. On these threads is screwed a cross bar 20 made pret crably thin as possible so that it shall not impede 'the tlow of the oil7 and of such length only that when the valve head rises oit its the end of the Vbar strikes beneath the tubular member 7 or 70 as shown. Moreover, the bar is made of a length less than the internal diameter of the tapered lower end i surrounding Athe shoe 7, cr'lcss the internal diameter of the Jlunger "surrounding the sub accor ing to the location ot the valve) so that said bar may have considerable lateral play while in place. erahly screwed up against it, although other mearfs might be provided for preventin .it from working loose on the threads 19. ar-

37 with a rodi' 36 which- Se, and therefore when Beneath the bar a jam nut 21 is pref rying out further the idea of giving the valve and its stem considerable lateral looseness, the rod is made somewhatsmallerv than the interior of the seat as shown; and

" the head s'rnade somewhat smaller than the interior of the cage 12 `which has only'two prongs. and both of thein `brought to a sharp inner edge 44. This'construction at# foi-ds the greatest possible amount of space for the' upward passage of oil which is in fact deflected outward between the prongs 43 by the conical shape of the valve headat- 15. After the valve rises as far as the cross bar 20 will permit,its head falls aside, and this action is'superinduced by its weight and by the upward rush of the oil past the head; f 1t will'be rare indeed that its cylinrelatively to that of the stem and cross 'bar drical portion 16' will strike one ot the sharp HSS ed es 44 so accurately that it will' not u o to one'eide ofthe same, and then it into one prongs ll'a'nd positively dislodges any sediment which may have accumulated there.

As the cage risesthe valve descends and itsf stem-18-pushed rather than pulled down 'by the weighted head-slides over the upper end ofthe seat .10 and guides the conical end 15 thereintdwhatever lateral osition the valve head may have assumed. h threads at both ends of the stem are useful-singly or jointly for 'adjustment' of the distance between the head and cross bar so as to permit the greatest degreeof lateral movement with Ythe object just described,A consistent with the-successful closing of the valve at proper moments to lift as much oil as pos# sible.

ln operation, best seen in Fig.

the parts being connected as 1 and the worlng cylinder ofthe wide spaces between the two 3 lowered into the well, when power 1s applied to reciprocate the sucker rod 220' so that the piston valve and and down within the' cylin er without withdrawing the standing valve from its place at the ower end thereof as shown, at each upward stroke the oil above the head of the 'upper valve is lifted while the tendencyis lunger move up to produce a partial vacuum between the two valves as' usual. The pressure ot the oil beneath the head of the lower valve unseats the latter with the assistance of said vacuum,

and during the riseot the plunger some of' the oil flows through the standing valve into the .working cylinder. On the return or downward movement of the latter the upper valve opens and the lower valve closes, its

closing being occasioned by the wei ht of i the column of liquid upon it'lasslsted y the weight of the valve head. T usthe reciprocation of thesuclrer rod'and Ypiston valve will cause the two valves to openmand close alternatel in a manner which' `1e stood vvin t is art.

The parte may `"wellunderbe gf refugees sizes,

shapes, proportions and materials, .and ehniiges in details may be made as consistent aerith the scape of this invention.

l5/hat is claimed as. new is:

an oil well pump valve, the combination with the-valve head having a Weighted cylindrical body portion-and a conical lower end, the valve rod screwed into the apex of he head and depending therefrom, and a eresebaradjustably mounted on said rod;

f ef a seat whose internal diameter is smaller throughout Whose than the largest diameter of said head but considerably larger than the rod, a tubular member" depending from said seat and length the rod projects,

@the internal diameter ef this member being entraider' than the length of said cross bar but larger than .the seat and considerably larger than the rod, and a cage comprising abody surrounding the upper end of said seat and connecting it with said member, two prongs rising from the outer edge of said body and having sharpened inner edges s aeed considerably farther apart than t e largest diameter ofthe valve head, and a yoke connesting their upper ends.

Xn testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in Witnesses.

EARL A. vVHELE.

Witnesses V. L. COLLAMER, J. A. GRIESBAUER, Jr.

presence of two subscribing 

